Recent years have seen increasing archaeological research in South America, but little of it has been undertaken in the tropical forest regions. In an attempt to fill a portion of this gap we spent the period from July, 1948 to July, 1949 in archaeological survey and excavations on the Islands of Marajó, Mexiana, and Caviana in the mouth of the Amazon and in the Territory of Amapá, (Brazilian Guiana). At the close of the field work the material was analysed, classified, and described in Brazil, and compared with collections from the region not available in American museums. It is upon these preliminary studies and comparative analyses that the following discussion is based; and although the basic classifications and ceramic typologies will not be changed, some alterations in over-all conclusions may be made as the final report nears completion.

Cotua Island is situated among the Yavariven Rapids of the Orinoco River northwest of the island of María Auxiliadora in Latitude 5°35'N and Longitude 67°35'W (Fig. 4). It measures some 2000 meters long and 500 meters wide.

About four years ago, when the waters of the Orinoco were unusually high, they completely covered the island. Nevertheless, a Creole is now living there, as the fertility of the soil is great enough to overcome his fear that the river will again rise over the island. Directly west of his house, the water has eroded pebbles and Indian potsherds from the ground (Fig. 4, 4). To the southeast, on Maria Auxiliadora Island, there are petroglyphs (Fig. 4, 1), and in addition both islands bear workshops, where the Indians appear to have ground stone artifacts on outcrops of rock (Fig. 4, 2, 3, 5).

Stamped or impressed designs on pottery from a group of relatively early sites in northern Georgia provide new data on the origin of several well known motifs of later times, and add to the evidence for a considerable cultural continuity between the archaeological phases of this area.

In a previous article for american antiquity (Vol. XIV, pp. 201-9), I summarized the general ceramic sequence in the Etowah Drainage. Fabric impressed pottery seems to be the first majority ware in this area. It gradually decreased in popularity as Mossy Oak Simple Stamped increased and Deptford Bold and Linear Check Stamped appeared. The last named, together with Deptford Simple Stamped, became majority types during Late Archaic or Early Woodland times. In the meantime Woodstock Stamped and Woodstock Incised pottery appeared, but did not reach their frequency peak until Early Swift Creek had presumably degenerated into its later form near the end of the Middle Woodland period. Napier Stamped appeared at this time. Napier and Woodstock pottery strongly influenced the Early Mississippi "Etowah" wares, both stamped and incised. In the latter part of this period, Savannah Stamped intruded briefly, but the Etowah types persisted and finally deteriorated in carefulness of execution, thus evolving into the Lamar pottery of Late Mississippi time.

Dr. Antonio J. Waring, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, dug a test trench at Johns Island in August, 1948. He discovered an upper zone of oyster shells containing sherds of the Weeden Island period and a lower zone of cemented fresh-water snail shells in which were large percussion-flaked tools but apparently no pottery. At the conference on The Florida Indian and His Neighbors held at Rollins College, Winter, Park Florida, in April he called this site to the attention of the Florida Park Service and suggested that additional work would be worthwhile. We conducted excavations at the island in May, 1949, with two primary objectives: first, to determine the associations of the large stone tools; second, to secure data relative to a rise in sea level during or since occupancy.

During the academic year 1948-49 an archaeological survey of the central Florida region was initiated by the writer and carried out with the aid of University of Florida students. As a result a large number of sites have been located, many of which have no pottery on the surface but are characterized by an abundance of flint chips and chipped stone artifacts. Most of the stone points are not distinctive although a few, known as Suwannee points, are suggestive of fluted points and Plainview forms found elsewhere. With a hope of determining the cultural position of this type of point, and of defining possible lithic complexes in the region, a program of test excavations was planned. These have resulted in the recognition of a new lithic entity, the Santa Fe complex.

Although southwestern archaeologists have for years been greatly interested in the classification and description of pottery, their investigations have been primarily centered on the pottery of the Pueblos and other sedentary groups, and comparatively little attention was given to the ceramics of the nomadic or semi-nomadic southwestern groups. Within recent years some studies have been made on Navaho and Western Apache pottery, but as yet there have been no detailed studies of the pottery of such peripheral nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes as the Ute and Southern Paiute. Therefore, it seems well worthwhile at this time to present the following brief notes concerning the results of several years of archaeological field work in the Southern Paiute area.

During the 1948 summer field session of the University of Arizona Archaeological Field School, located at Point of Pines, Arizona, two painted stone slabs were excavated in a late Pueblo ruin designated as Arizona: W:10:47.

Arizona: W: 10:47 was believed to be a small single-phase pueblo occupied during the Point of Pines horizon, ca. 1350 to 1400 A.D. It was decided during the course of the summer's work to investigate this ruin, in an attempt to locate wood specimens for dating purposes and to gather information concerning the architecture, ceramics, etc., of this late horizon. The task of sinking the te.st trenches necessary for the investigation fell to the author and to R. E. Gerald of the University of Arizona.